Virus Hunters....

I found the above linked article at the Washington Post interesting for several reasons. The history of the Spanish flu virus is one that should not be forgotten. While at first I wondered if there was more of a risk trying to find samples of the flu that killed over 50 million people was a smart idea, the possible connection to the bird flu as well as designing more effective flu vaccines is important. To me that's one of the downsides of the flu vaccine system, the guessing involved as to which flu will be the strains to hit.

I also had never heard of :

The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville. It provides pathology services for the military, including autopsies of war dead. It also functions as a kind of Supreme Court for difficult cases. Pathologists unsure of a diagnosis, for a small fee, can consult its experts and send them microscopic slides or other samples for review. Part of the institute's value lies in its pathological specimens dating to 1862 -- 3 million pieces of preserved human tissue.

We may never find a cure for the common cold but the flu? Now that looks like it's possible to at least create a better vaccine for.